Box or satchel catch.



No. 648,875. I Patented May L, i900.

- F. L. MILLER. 1

BOX 0R SATGHEL CATCH.

(Application led Sept. 14, 1899.)

(No Model.)

WITNEssl-:s: INVENTOR;

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

vFREDERICK L. MILLER, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO AULBETSCII da VIIITTEMORE, OF SAME PLACE.

BOX OR SATCHEL CATCH.

SPECIFICATION forming-part of Letters Patent No. 648,875, dated May 1, 1900.

Application filed September 14, 1899. Serial No. 730,435. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom, it may concern-.-

Be it known that I, FREDERICK L. MILLER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Newark, in the county of Essex and State 0f New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Box or Satchel Catches; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

The objects of this invention are to reduce the cost of construction, to provide a catch of greater strength and durability, one more reliable in action and more easy ot' manipulation, and to secure other advantages and results, some of which may be referred to hereinafter in connection with the description of the working parts.

The invention consists in the improved catch for satchels, sample-cases, musical-instrument cases, tbc., and in the arrangements and combinations of parts of the same, all substantially as Will be hereinafter set forth, and finally embraced in the clauses of the claim.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, in which like letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in each of the several views, Figure l is a front elevation of the improved catch applied to a box or case. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of the same, taken at line fr, Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a section taken at line y, Fig. 2; and Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view of one of the catch-bolts detached from the inclosing box.

In said drawings, a indicates a base plate, which is preferably struck up from sheet metal, being perforated, as at a/ a', at its opposite ends to provide means for fastening to the satchel frame or case. At the center of said base-plate is formed a raised seat a2 for the box ZJ, said raised seat a2 being slotted, as at a3 a3, at opposite ends to receive the fastening-lugs b' of the box b, which lugs are adapted to be turned beneath the said raised seat a2, the under side of the base-plate being concaved or recessed, as at a4, to receive the said lugs. At the center of the said seat a2 the same is perforated, as at a5, to receive a pivotal rivet c, and upon said rivet is fulcrumed a lever d, which lever d projects laterally out from and beyond the seat and provides at opposite sides thereof and at opposite sides of the fulcrumal rivet c bearings engaged by the adjacent ends of the oppositely-movable latch-bolts e, hereinafter referred to. Upon said seat a2 of the base-plate a', fastened by the lugs b. above referred to, is arranged the box b. This is formed from sheet metal, being struck up or formed by suitable dies or formers, as indicated in Figs. 2 and 3, so as to form a chamber adapted to provide interior slideways for the latch-bolts e and at its opposite extremities end bearings for the latch-bolt springs f f. Midway vbetween said end bearings for the springs the box at its lower edges is provided with guide slots or recesses b2, in which the lever d lies, the said lever extending from slot to slot transversely across the box and being permitted a limited lateral movement therein on its fulcrum c. Within said box, on the interior slideways therein, are located the sliding catch-bolts e e, the said bolts being arranged in alinement and disposed on opposite sides of the lever d, so that the latter impinges on the inner ends of both of said bolts. At the opposite or outer ends of said bolts e e, between said ends and the interior end walls of the box, are arranged the springs f. These tend to press the said latch-boltseagainst the opposite sides of the lever, as shown in Fig. 3,

the said springs being of equal strength, to hold the lever,and particularly the finger portion thereof, at right angles to the longitudinal axial line of said bolts and the direction of movement thereof. Inas m uch as the bearings of the lever on the opposite bolts are about equidistant from the lever-fulcrum, by pressing on the sides of the finger portion d of the said lever the said lever is caused to assume a position inclined to theline of movement of the said latch-bolt, and thus presses the said bolts equally in opposite directions against the stress of the springs. This action serves to release the said latch-bolts from the cooperating catch or hasp g, hereinafter referred to.

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By means of the lever the bolts are pushed opposite] y bya comparatively-slight exertion of power, so that the hasp g is released with ease. Upon releasing the lever d from pressure the springs f, acting simultaneously,

are cnt off squarely and recessed, the twoA lower side recesses e serving to receive the lever and the upper central recess e2 in the two bolts forming together an aperture 'into which the small oppositely-beveled head of the hasp may be inserted preliminary to forcing the said bolts apart. The said hasp g may be of any suitable construction and is preferably one adapted tospring open automatically when released. Being in hinged sections, one of said sections is riveted upon the case and the other is formed to lie against the outside of the box b, the latter section being provided with an oppositely-beveled or arrow head g', above which its edges have opposite recesses forming a reduced neck g2 to receive the ends of the bolts.

By pressing the small end of the head g between the bolts e the latter are forced apart by the inclined edges g3. When the neck g2 is brought into coincidence with the recesses e2 of the bolts, the latter are forced inward by their springs ff, the recesses pass asti-ide said neck, and the hasp is thus held in locked relation.

To release the hasp, I simply press laterally in either direction upon the lever, when the said bolts are vforced away from one another out of engagement with the hasp-neck.

IIa-ving thus described the invention, what I claim as new isl. The improved catch comprising a box or vinclosure, bolts in said box or inclosure, and

a lever pivoted between the adjacent ends of said bolts and adapted to force the said bolts outward in opposite directions when turned in either direction on its fulcrum, substanr tially as set forth.

2. lThe improved catch herein described, comprising a box, two sliding bolts, and a lever disposed between said bolts and adapted to force them in opposite directions; combined with a hasp having a head adapted to be engaged by the inner ends of thebolts when not so forced apart, substantially as set forth.

3. The improved catch comprising a baseplate, a hollow box thereon, sliding bolts arranged in alinement in said box, a lever interposed between said bolts and normally contacting at two points with the inner end of each, and springs between the outer ends of said bolts and the ends of the box, substantially as set forth.

, 4:. The improved catch'comprising a baseplate, a hollow box, two hollow sliding bolts therein, each having two recesses in its inner end, a lever having bearing at opposite sides within the recesses of the bolts, and springs holding said bolts in contact with said lever, substantially as set forth.

5. The improved catch comprising two hollow bolts pressed normally together at their inner ends which are curved upward and provided with meeting recesses at their tops, and

means for moving said bolts apart when desired; combined with a hasp having an arrow-head at its extremity and a reducedneck above the head, the neck fitting within the recesses and the head standing within the hollow bodies of the bolts when the inner ends of the latter are in contact, substantially as described.

6. The improved catch comprising a baseplate, a hollow box having recesses at opposite edges, a lever fnlcrumed on said baseplate and extendingr into said recesses, two hollow sliding bolts disposed at opposite sides of said lever within the box and each having' its inner end out off squarely and provided with two side recesses for the lever and an upper central recess, and springs for holding said bolts toward said lever; combined with a hasp having a head adapted to be engaged by said central recess when the bolts are pressed inward, substantially as set forth.

7. The improved catch comprising a box or inelosure, bolts therein in longitudinal alinement, springs interposed between each of said 'bolts and the outer end of said box, and a lebolts one away from the other when moved on its fulcrum in one direction or the opposite, substantially as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand this 28th day of August, 1899.

FREDERICK L. MILLER.

IVitnesses:

CHARLES H. PELL, C. B. PITNEY.

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